Air Quality At Indoor Ice Rinks Often Poor

NEW YORK, Dec 02 (Reuters Health) -- The air inside many indoor skating rinks may be polluted with elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas that at high concentrations can cause breathing problems, researchers report in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health, a journal of the American Public Health Association.

A combination of poor ventilation and the use of fossil fuel-powered ice resurfacing equipment account for the elevated NO2 levels in many rinks, according to Dr. Jonathan I. Levy, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues.

"Especially for sensitive individuals whose breathing rates are elevated while skating, NO2 concentrations must be reduced to protect public health," Levy and colleagues write. Workers who drive ice resurfacing vehicles are also at risk in heavily polluted rinks, the authors note.

Over the course of three winters, the researchers measured NO2 concentrations in 19 indoor ice rinks -- rinks using propane-, gasoline-, or electric-powered ice refinishing equipment.

The first winter, the average monthly NO2 concentration in rinks using propane-powered refinishers was 248 parts per billion (ppb), compared with 54 ppb for rinks with gasoline-powered machines, and 30 ppb in rinks with electrically-powered equipment, the researchers found. The average hourly concentrations were 206 ppb, 132 ppb, and 37 ppb during the second and third winters, respectively. The air quality guideline set by the World Health Organization is 110 ppb for 1 hour.

Therefore, according to the authors, "57% of measurements from rinks with propane-fueled resurfacers, 40% from rinks with gasoline-fueled resurfacers, and 4% from rinks with electric resurfacers would exceed the WHO 1-hour air-quality guideline."

Over the course of the study, some rinks increased ventilation, and either tuned their ice resurfacing machines, or replaced fossil-fuel powered models with electrically powered models.

"Although these controls resulted in an average concentration reduction of 65% during (years 2 and 3 of the study), a wide range of outcomes was documented," Levy and colleagues report. Indoor NO2 concentrations dropped 37% to 86%, depending on the rink, they add.

In addition, the improvements in air quality were not always lasting. In many rinks, NO2 readings increased the month after the controls were introduced, the researchers note.

"Despite these limitations, the findings of this study allow us to make some general recommendations for managers of indoor ice rinks," they write.

Rinks with fossil-fuel powered resurfacers should either replace these with electrically powered models, retrofit them with pollution control devices, or increase ventilation, Levy and colleagues suggest.

In addition, rinks should monitor NO2 concentrations "to determine whether the resurfacer has been properly maintained (and) to ensure that ventilation is sufficient," they conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health 1998;88:1781-1786.

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